A GOOD JAPANESE IVORY NETSUKE EDO 1603-1868 Depicting a small rat seated on its haunches and...

A GOOD JAPANESE IVORY NETSUKE

EDO 1603-1868

Depicting a small rat seated on its haunches and nibbling at a candle it holds tightly with its front paws, its eyes and the wick inlaid in horn, signed Okatomo, 4.3cm.

Provenance: from the collection of François Storno, sold at Christie's London 16th May 2007, lot 239. This very netsuke is also illustrated in F Storno, Le Netzké Errant, fig.19. Also, see F Meinertzhagen, The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, Part B, p.619, where a comparable and possibly the same netsuke of a rat eating a candle by Okatomo is illustrated.